User blog:BeastMan14/Film Review: "Teen Titans Go! To The Movies" Is An Uneven, if Charming, Romp
In terms of nerd culture, it's hard to find something more divisive than Teen Titans Go! The followup to the beloved 2003 original series, Go! angered fans of the original for it's goofy and often childish takes on the characters. I, personally, think the show is fine, leaving me interested to see the theatrical debut of the Teen Titans in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, especially once glowing reviews of the film started flowing in. After walking out, I'm not sure it'll win over any new fans or convince haters of the show to think otherwise, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a film with a solid helping of humor, color, and heart. The Cast An advantage of adapting an animated show is that the cast easily fits into their roles like a glove. The actors voicing the Titans have been at this for almost two decades, and it shows as they play the characters with an easy charm and chemistry. Scott Menville, in particular, gets to shine as he plays a far less restrained version of Robin, who stands as the film's lead, filling the Boy Wonder with a scrappy arrogance that never quite becomes as unlikable as one would suspect. In terms of new additions, the most obvious member is Will Arnett as Slade, the Titans new archnemesis. Arnett is the master of playing charming assholes, and his Slade, an easily-frustrated chessmaster with a penchant for cheap tricks, is no exception, with his interactions with the Titans standing as some of the film's funniest moments. The film is also chock-full of cameos with a variety of actors playing DC's beloved characters, with the best one being Nicholas Cage as Superman. More than just stunt-casting, Cage fits the Man of Steel's charm and goofy boy scout tendencies without ever being too distracting. The cast, unsurprisingly, proved to be the film's strongest point, as it should be in any quality animated film. Score: 4.5 out of 5 The Story Much like the show itself, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies's script is at it's strongest when it's poking fun at the greater elements of the DC universe rather than focusing on grossout humor. The film is littered with references and knowing winks to fans, many of which land quite effectively (the running gag of Raven's portals and the film's inexplicable hatred of the Challengers of the Unknown were two favorites), though it does tend to overstay it's welcome, particularly with the more childish jokes. The actual story of the film is something of a Deadpool-lite. To summarize, Robin and the Teen Titans travel to Hollywood in hopes of getting a film made about it, be it by gaining an archnemesis, becoming the only superheroes available, or by going solo. The actual beats of the film are somewhat predictable, save for a twist near the end that takes a slightly different turn than expected and a delightful post-credits scene, but there's still a level of charm as the film makes the clear effort to reassure you that it should never be taken too seriously, a nice change of pace from the rest of DC's recent output. Score: 3 out of 5 The Direction Perhaps the largest surprise of the film is how vibrant and colorful it is. The film is bursting with flair and full of small details that merit a rewatch, and is totally unafraid to switch styles without warning, with homages to 90's Disney and the trippier experimental of the 70's animation popping up without warning. In terms of actual direction, the film's animation flows smoothly, never feeling disorienting, and has some surprisingly entertaining action sequences. The musical score by Jared Faber is fairly standard fare, while the film's actual soundtrack has some absurdly catchy tunes, particularly "Upbeat Inspirational Song About Life" and "My Superhero Movie". Technically, Titans works to surprise it's audience, and it creates a film much more memorable than something that had simply relied on comedy. Score: 4 out of 5 Final Verdict Teen Titans Go! To the Movies is not a film that everyone will enjoy, but those willing to look past more serious attachments to the characters will certainly find something for them. For those interested in something a lot sillier than DC's usual output, make like the Titans and go to the movies to see this film. Score: 76% Potential Ballot Spots: *Best Animated Feature *Best Original Song: "Upbeat Inspirational Song About Life" - Micheal Bolton Category:Blog posts Category:Reviews Category:2018 Reviews